School board creates new assistant superintendent position

Over the objections of the administration and teachers, the Hesperia Unified school board created a new assistant superintendent position Monday.

At a nearly seven-hour meeting Monday, the Hesperia Unified School District board turned the Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment into the Assistant Superintendent for Assessment and Accountability.

The position is currently vacant: The last director to hold the job, Larry Bird, was named the new principal of Sultana High School at the board's July 12 meeting. The director's job has been listed since July 14.

The new position is the brainchild of board member Robert Kirk, who presented a series of dismal statistics of student performance in the HUSD. According to Kirk, 81 percent of 5th graders score "below basic" or "far below basic" on math skills. Only 74.8 percent of HUSD students graduated in 2009, he said, down from 80.3 percent who graduated in 2006. Fewer than five HUSD schools have hit the district's 800 Academic Performance Index target figure, and no HUSD secondary schools have.

"Our students are not hitting high school with the math skills they need," he said. "How can we help them?"

"Hire more teachers!" a woman in the crowd called out.

"This new position will provide strengthened leadership, authority, and better accountability for student academic progress," Kirk elaborated in a written statement sent to the Star Monday evening. "Along with student safety, academic achievement must be our primary mission. This high level position would take what is our primary mission, the academic education of our children, to a new level and represent that mission in every cabinet meeting. Our students deserve to have every opportunity to have a world-class education that prepares them for any goals that they set for their future."

The decision was presented as a "revenue-neutral" one that will not cost the cash-strapped district any extra funds: In other words, the job's pay would not change. But it will still cost more than twice a starting teacher's salary to fill: A starting director makes $112,581, according to the HUSD, while a first-year credentialed teacher (based on their last approved contract -- the district and teachers union are currently attempting to close an $8.4 million budget gap) makes $43,275, plus benefits.

"Be very careful when you hear politicians using words like 'revenue neutral' in an election year," said board member Chris Bentley.

Kirk is up for reelection this year, although he has not yet filed the paperwork necessary to run for office, nor indicated whether or not he intends to seek a second term.

The assistant superintendent's job would be to synthesize the data from school sites to determine where the district is falling short and work with staff to improve test scores.

Superintendent Mark McKinney and teachers in attendance Monday -- the daytime meeting had dozens in the audience -- said the position was unnecessary, and that principals and teachers at each site were capable of using the data to do the analysis themselves.

"This is not about helping kids," said board member Lee Rogers. "This is about creating a position you want to create."

"We can test until the moo-moos come home," said Bentley, "But it doesn't mean we'll get better milk out of the cows."

"From my position, we've just barely begun doing the district's mission after four years," said board president Hardy Black, arguing in favor of the assistant superintendent's position. He, Kirk and Rogers were elected in the 2006 election. "That's educating kids."

"I would argue that the last four years is when the district lost its student-centered focus," said Bentley.

Board member Anthony Riley echoed Kirk and Black in his support of the change: "If we're not doing our job, there comes a time for personal accountability."

"The future is going to be student accountability," said Kirk.

The board approved the chance by a 3-2 margin, with Bentley and Rogers dissenting.

The next regular meeting of the HUSD school board will be held on August 2 at 6 p.m. in the HUSD Educational Support Center Annex, 15576 Main Street.

Beau Yarbrough can be reached at 760-956-7108 or at beau@hesperiastar.com. Follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Hesperia.Star.

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